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Monday, October 24, 2011

Sometimes I'm the victim of my own positive thinking. When I found out I was pregnant I subliminally decided that I wouldn't have morning sickness. I would eat healthy and every few hours so my blood sugar wouldn't dip. I would drink my 60 oz. of water that was recommended and I would continue to my workout regimen.

Then week 7 came along and I was suddenly sicker than I ever remember in my worst flu moment. Nothing I did helped. Working out was a distant memory and I could tell my husband started to get an exasperated look in his eyes when I couldn't cook (how much longer do we have to live like this?!) Eating healthy was a sad joke as my body rejected anything green and tortured me if I even tried.

It wasn't until I saw week 13 that I started to see the light of day and my husband felt like the darkness had disappeared. Working out has become normal again but a slight change has actually happened for the better - I now work out at lunch because I get too tired by the end of the day which means I have more time to cook when I get home. Which is good until the baby comes and when that happens, who knows?

Today I got home late so I was looking for an easier option and I remembered my mother-in-law mentioned something when I offered to send her home with leftover mashed potatoes from my husbands birthday dinner - "Just make potato soup with it." I've never made potato soup at all which is odd since I'm such a fan of my mashed potatoes and soup. So I fried up some chopped onions, chopped shitake mushrooms and Italian sausage. I then added the leftover mashed potatoes (4 cups worth) and thinned it out with chicken stock. It ended up making a creamy yet hearty soup perfect for fall and it took only about 20 minutes.

Sausage, Potato and Mushroom Soup

2 Italian Sausage links

1 pint Shitake mushrooms

1/2 medium onion chopped

4-5 cups leftover mashed potatoes

32 oz chicken stock

1/4 cup grated Parmesean cheese

In a Dutch oven or small stockpot, remove the casings of the sausage and fry up with the chopped onion and chopped Shitake mushrooms. Add the mashed potatoes and incorporate together in the pot until the potatoes get warm and start to melt a little. Then add the stock and bring to a boil. If you had heavy cream in your original mashed potato recipe you'll see it start to make the soup creamy. Reduce to medium and let reduce a little. Add the cheese and serve with some crusty bread. (feel free to omit the sausage and mushrooms if you want)